Data+Collection

   For the Linguistic Dimensions Study, I have chosen to examine Junior High School 226 Virgil I Grisson. J.H.S. 226 is located in South Ozone Park, Queens. I used the U.S. Census, Record Information Services to examine the demographics of South Ozone Park and determine that it is comprised of mainly Hispanics.

Being that such a large percentage of both the community and the school are Hispanic, I was not surprised to notice that many of the stores surrounding the school display signs in both English and Spanish. Within a block radius of the school, I took note of both a Spanish restaurant and a Spanish bakery. 

The photos below are of Mamacita's Restaurant, located directly across the street from J.H.S. 226. This restaurant serves both breakfast and sandwich's and is extremely popular amongst both teachers and students at J.H.S. 226. Since Mamacita's opens at 7a.m it is not uncommon to find students there before school. The food is prices reasonably enough to be affordable for students. Fried eggs are only 50 cents. Even though the neighborhood is predominantly Hispanic the menu has been translated to English. I believe the reason for this is due to the popularity of Mamacita's amongst the teachers who work at J.H.S. 226. The fact that every detail of the menu is translated with the exception of the fact that the restaurant caters strengthened my initial accusation. In addition to the photos from Mamacita's Restaurant, I have also uploaded pictures from a Spanish bakery that is also across the street from J.H.S. 226.





After observing the neighborhood I wanted to learn more about the students and their language patterns. I was fortunate enough to be able to collect samples of their writing. I also discovered a facebook group entitled Virgil I. Grissom School M.S. 226. The group is comprised of 429 active members, has a wall with over forty posts, and a discussion board displaying 8 separate discussion topics. Many of the papers and internet posts contained the same linguistic errors: · Lack of the word "will" -> "Tomorrow I go" · Students tend to direct their sentences by beginning the sentence with the subject. "You can recommend one book to me?" · Problems with tenses ->" I do not have time in coming to her home" · Lack of the word "it" -> "but is very difficult to me"

I also verbally observed students needing to direct their sentences while I was in their classroom. -> "Miss, you please give me a pass?" After speaking with colleagues I found it fascinating that Hispanic students consider lack of direction of a sentence to be disrespectful.

In hope to learn more about the values and beliefs that exist within the community I had thorough interviews with three students who all happened to be from Peru. Although their experiences were all different they shared many commonalities.  One student, Lucy, explained feeling torn between English and Peruvian culture. She moved from Peru to the United States in the 4th grade. Lucy's mother requires that her children all speak Spanish while they are home in hope to keep their heritage alive. She explained that although she only speaks Spanish at home, her mother set strict standards for her to learn English and do well in school. She said, "Not doing well in school is not an option. My mother knows we need to learn English properly to be successful in this country." Both of Lucy's parents had earned degrees in Physics while in Peru but now run a Laundromat in New York. She explained that her parents valued education at home but their degrees did not transfer to the United States. Lucy's father moved to New York two years before Lucy, her mother, and her siblings joined him. Lucy's mother appears to be the disciplinary figure in the home. During our conversation she mentioned that her entire family attends mass together every single Sunday than goes to one of her aunt’s house for a large breakfast. Another tradition they have carried from Peru to the United States is watching soccer regularly with their extended family.
 * They all emphasized the importance of their Christian faith
 * They all spoke Spanish at home
 * All of their parents struggle with the English language
 * They emphasized a strong community comprised of Peruvians who they consider “cousins”
 * They have very strong family bonds. They see aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents who live in this country regularly
 * <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt;">Their heritage includes large family meals

Although Lucy's family values their Peruvian tradition, they also celebrate Thanksgiving and 4th of July. They are assimilating to American culture while trying to preserve their Peruvian culture. Lucy explained that sometimes it is hard to have two different cultures. Her mother makes the family a large breakfast each morning and expects them to not eat again until they have a large dinner together at 3 o'clock every afternoon. However, as an American she is expected to have lunch with her classmates. Lucy explained that she has gained weight since moving to America. Even though she is only a size 3/4 in American clothes she is considered "fat" to her relatives in Peru. She explained to me that in Peru, everyone is "very very thin." Another difference she has encountered is the celebration of Christmas. Lucy’s family celebrates Christmas on Christmas Eve. Their family has a large meal on December 24 and the children go to sleep very early. At midnight all the children wake up and they set off fireworks and dance in the street. By midnight, Santa has come and they all open gifts together and have a huge meal. Lucy told me that as a child her friends did not understand how she could not get any gifts Christmas morning. Another difference is on Halloween in Peru the children say “Halloween, Halloween” instead of “Trick-or-Treat”.